BRITS DO THE TRANS-AM TRAIL
You could be forgiven for never having heard of it– it’s not on every British motorcyclist’s wavelength – but Geoff McGladdery and John Roach have ridden the Trans-America Trail, and on old classics to boot. They rode a 1971 Cheney Triumph ISDT Replica and a 1983 350cc Moto-Morini Kanguro respectively.
The ‘TAT,’ as it’s better known, is a 5000-mile route right across the USA which avoids tarmac, taking in dirt and gravel roads, farm tracks, creek beds and abandoned railways. You couldn’t do it on a Goldwing, but it looks like a common or garden trailie would tackle it without a problem. Geoff and John, joined by their Canadian friend Bill on his KTM, took up the trail at Atlanta and rode down into America’s deep south before turning west through Oklahoma and over the Rockies
to the west coast. It took 30 days, and wasn’t without its challenges, as Geoff described: “It wasn’t just keeping the classic bikes going, but riding the terrain and surviving the American diet. We had to deal with deserts and mountain passes, not to mention officialdom and bureaucracy in the land of Trump. The police stopped us three times!”
The Triumph suffered gear selection gremlins (stuck in second on the first day) while the KTM’s stand broke, though the Morini seems to have behaved itself. One recurring problem was finding lunch, though eating places and shops did turn up unexpectedly, miles from anywhere. One ‘seafood’ restaurant appeared just at the right time, 400 miles away from the nearest ocean! Lack of water in the more remote areas was another genuine challenge, and one reason why they seldom camped.
John Roach takes up the story in Oklahoma: “As we reached the plains the trees started to disappear, along with the hills. The roads became arrow-straight and extremely dusty. The gravel took some getting used to – it was impossible to ride below 30mph but speed brought on other problems, though I did get better as the miles built up.
“Once in Bartlesville it was time for a day off for bike maintenance so we checked into a motel. Kanga was treated to an oil change and valve check and I removed the right-hand cover to brush out all the dust, then twiddled my thumbs while the Triumph got the works. During the day there was a continuous feed of men of a certain age dropping by to talk bikes, and one of them invited us to drop by and see his bikes later on.
“We couldn’t resist taking advantage of the heat and local laws by riding down main street helmetless, to the sound of my mother tutting away in the back
Dirt roads and forestry tracks on a 4500-mile coast to coast ride across the USA.
of my head. We arrived to discover that Debbie, Doyl’s wife, had cooked for us. Fuelled with home made buritos we spent a happy hour in Doyl’s sheds looking at bikes. Once again, people making for a fantastic trip.”
Read the full story of John and Geoff ’s TAT in MSL soon.